Where to Look for a Piano
Pianos are generally sold by small independent retailers. No piano store is any better than its ability to obtain high-quality products and service them. Generally, smaller, community minded dealers will be able to give you more value and service after the sale. You also have a better opportunity to work directly with the owner. Look for a dedicated piano store staffed by people who know and love pianos.
Big Vs. Small Company
There are very few economies of scale in the piano business. There were only 28,000 grand pianos sold in the United States in 2006 and fewer every year since. Every piano has to be individually handled, uncrated, set up, tuned, regulated and voiced. Overall, the small companies with dedicated service departments and technicians on staff take more care to properly prepare each piano. Piano manufacturers generally sell to all dealers at the same price, less small allowances for large shipments. The "superstores" have extra layers of management and are generally less efficient, which more than offsets any volume advantages.
Tuners Who Sell Pianos
Many tuners actively sell pianos. Most are reputable, but be suspicious of tuners who sell a lot of pianos or who do so on the Internet. While tuners may be knowledgeable about the technical aspects of pianos, most are not reliable sources of information on the value. In general, you are much better off buying a piano from a dealer.
Internet Sellers
None of the major piano manufacturers allow their pianos to be sold on line or sell them directly to consumers. This is because pianos require skilled local delivery and service. And every expert recommends that the customer should play and hear a piano before accepting it. Therefore, 95% of all the pianos available on line are gray market Yamaha and Kawai, other used pianos or private label low grade Chinese pianos. All could be obtained locally at lower prices. The remainder are eastern European pianos of dubious quality. We don't sell pianos on line and we won't take pianos purchased on line as trade ins.
Your Salesperson
Pianos are generally sold by commissioned salespeople, which is not a bad thing. Many of the best salespeople genuinely care about their clients and have been through the process of helping with the selection of a piano hundreds or thousands of times. A sincere piano salesperson will want to spend 5-10 minutes asking questions about how and where you plan to use the instrument before they start making recommendations. Beware of fast talkers who are mainly interested in talking about a particular product. If there are fifty pianos in a store, probably only one or two of them are just right for you.
"Superstores" generally have higher turn-over of salespeople which means the person who sells you a piano might not be around if you need help. Always make sure that any promises made are put in writing on your sales receipt and signed by the store owner.
Most small- or medium-sized dealers have an owner in the store. If at all possible, try to meet with him or her from the beginning. Also, smaller dealers are typically family run businesses, with employees who are loyal and committed to the long term success of the business. They will go "the extra mile" to insure that you are happy with their service and your piano long after the sale.